It took three check-outs from the library, but I finally had enough time to finish Max Barry's Company last week. It's not quite as immediate as either Syrup or Jennifer Government (the latter, especially), but it's a spectacularly subtle satire of modern American business culture that's grounded more in realism than Barry's past books are. I don't want to go too far into the specifics, because there's a major twist about a third of the way into the book that affects a lot of the things I'd like to talk about, but suffice it to say that putting cubicle living under the microscope is only the starting point. Company is as much about the production and sale of knowledge and social status and the choices people make to negotiate the system as it is about the system itself.

Block Party struck me as a strange project with which to return to the public eye for Dave Chappelle, but man, what a great piece of work. There's a lot of concert footage -- with all performances being backed by the Roots -- but also a lot of amazing behind the scenes stuff both at the party and in the days leading up to it. Among other things, Chappelle returns to his hometown of Dayton, OH, to invite all kinds of random folks to New York for the show. While there he makes a spur of the moment decision to bring the Central State University marching band along to open the whole thing. Other interesting artifacts include Kanye West going on as the first schdeduled performer, relatively soon after College Dropout had come out and when he wasn't nearly as big a star as he is now. At the other end of the show, the closing Fugees reunion probably could've been its own DVD release. Throughout the production, scenes cut back to rehearsal recordings and a conversation between Chappelle and Cody ChestnuTT about music and community. This isn't a comedy, but it is funny, sweet and well worth watching.